New Project: Create a Package Design and 3D Mockup

Hello Students,
Your new assignment is to create an original package design that can be printed and assembled into a 3 dimensional mockup.

Examples of printed and assembled 3D package design "mockups"

Package Design Assignment Details:

• Search for template designs for packages, find one you like or make an original design. Try a google search for "package template(s)". Here is a link I found
• Outline or trace your template in Illustrator... note the tabs for gluing/taping together and the folding pattern
• Come up with a product idea and create a package design, front, back, sides, top and bottom
• Include product name, information, ingredients, bar code, etc... 
• Take time to create interesting designs or illustrations, use your color theory, typography and design skills in all aspects of the package
• All artwork must be original, no tracing or processing of photographs unless you took the original photo yourself!
• Your project will be graded on originality and complexity of your package design as well as meeting design standards for emphasis, contrast, alignment, clarity, communication.

Resources for inspiration:

Link: Packaging of the World

Link: Cool Hunter -  Power of the Package Design

Bonus Link: Vecteezy Free Package Templates in AI Format

Simple cereal box package template

Completed cereal package design

Student Examples:

Have fun!

 - Mr.W

How to Write a Good Great Resume

Hello Students,

Having a solid resume is the cornerstone to your job future. A well written and well designed resume is what sets you apart from other job applicants. A perfectly written job application, a quality resume and a list of positive references is the job seekers trifecta. In this class we will teach you these skills and more. Below is a list of writing tips, read over it before finalizing your resume.

Link, right click to download: ROP PORTFOLIO HANDBOOK

Resume Writing Tips:

Put your typography skills to work:

Never use comic sans, zapfino or anything difficult to read or is more expressive than rational. Use sans-serif for headers and section titles, pick a complementary serif font for all other text. Limit your fonts to 2, with 1 or 2 modifiers (bold, italic, etc). Also, refer back to our rules on typography in our introduction to typography and utilize those guidelines in your resume. Choose fonts that are complimentary to each other and assist in creating information hierarchy, this helps the reviewer find the information they need quickly. Choose a good sans serif font for your section titles and a complimentary serif font for the rest.

Have an objective:

Know the purpose of your resume and edit it for different job scenarios. Having a focused job objective listed on your resume will help you with attaining an interview and getting hired.

Back up your special skills with job experience:

List your skills but make sure your listed job experience, training or education reflects those skills. Are you really good at making websites? Let them know how and where you learned that skill.

Research and use the right keywords:

Every industry has its own language, research job offerings and pay attention to the keywords that are used. If you put your resume online with a job placement service they will often use certain keywords to search their database for potential hires.

Be descriptive with job experience:

A job title will communicate your role, but not the details of your work experience. List the duties, tasks, activities, skills and achievements that were part of your job.

Format your text:

Use bold text to start each section. Use bullets for lists. Make the document easy to quickly scan and read. Clarity of format is crucial, you have ten seconds before the employer will move on to another applicant.

List most recent job experience first:

This also goes for education, list the most recent first. If your still in High School you can say "future class of 2012", or "Currently attending HS".

List most important skills first:

When writing out your skill list make the most important skills the first ones on the list. If you are applying for a web design job, list your web skills first. Change and edit this for different industries/jobs.

Leave out the obvious:

It is not necessary to add "available for interview" or "references available upon request". References are standard and expected, and of course you are available for an interview. Thats the whole point!

Avoid negativity:

Don't trash talk past employers or state that you didn't like a past job. Simply state that you were looking for future opportunities.

Go with what you got:

If you haven't had work experience yet, just list any summer jobs, volunteer experience etc. If you have hobbies that are relevant to the job you can list those. If you don't have a diploma or degree then just list your estimated date for completion.

Proofread your resume:

Have your neighbor or classmate read your resume. Sometimes the spellchecker doesn't catch typos. The more eyeballs that see your resume before it gets in the hands of the employer the better.

Although these resumes contain similar information, styles do vary.

Resume Writing Assignment:

Read:
Check out these links to get some tips from the pros
Practical Resume Writing Tips
20 Best and Worst Fonts for Resume Writing
More Best and Worst Fonts for Resume's
Resume Tips: Avoid These Typography Mistakes

Create:

• Download the ROP Career Portfolio Handbook and follow the template to write your own resume from scratch
• Create a 1 page resume that meets the handbook requirements for all included information
• Use any program or online tools of your choice to write your resume
• Demonstrate good typography, spelling and accuracy! 
• Make sure your resume shows good information hierarchy so it is simple to read and each section is listed clearly
• Email or print and turn in your resume for credit - DO NOT POST YOUR RESUME ON YOUR BLOG!
• Due Wednesday

Have fun!

- Mr.W

Getting Intimate With Typography: Hand Lettering

Hello Students,

Your next assignment will help you become familiar with letterforms. Your assignment is to hand letter your own name. You will sketch each letter and then scan the sketch and trace with Adobe Illustrator, add color and final touches before turning in.

Experimental "A" created by AJ

Hand Lettering Assignment:

Use all the skills you have learned regarding color theory, typography and the principals and elements of design to create your own illustrated hand-lettering.

• Start by examining how your name looks in different fonts. Use Illustrator to make a few versions and think of an original way to modify or design your own letters
• Start sketching with pencil and paper, start with some small versions then try sketching each letter almost as big as the piece of paper
• Sketch out each letter and scan/photograph them, copy the images to your computer and use the File Menu>Place function to bring them into Adobe Illustrator
• Trace the letters shapes and other illustrative elements with the pen or pencil tools. Remember to close your paths to fill with color correctly, avoid using strokes on your objects... strive to use fill-only for best results
• Assemble your final letters in order to spell out your name
• Apply color and backgrounds
• Post to your blog when complete
• For inspiration check out Letter Cult or these examples of illustrative lettering

Student Showcase: Hand Lettering Examples

Student Work Gallery

Here are some great examples of student work this semester...

Typography Posters:

Digital Illustration:

Color Theory:

Design Principles and Elements:

Album Design:

Use Typefaces to Create a "Type Face"

New Assignment: Create a "Type Face":

In this assignment your goal is to use elements of typefaces/fonts to create an illustration. The technique for this works well with a photograph. You can create many type objects and use them to fill in the dark areas in a photo, then remove the photo and you are left with an image. You could also get creative and create an object or portrait without a photo, just use your imagination.

This type portrait of Salvador Dali was created with multiple methods, type fill, envelope distort and text-on-a-path

• Find a photo to use a reference, if you change the photo to black and white with photoshop it will be easier for your process in Illustrator
• Launch Adobe Illustrator, make a new document
• Use the File>Place function to bring in your reference photo
• Use the text tool to create different characters, use different fonts as well
• Select your text and go to Type>Create Outlines
• Ungroup your text objects to manipulate them individually, avoid distorting your characters, use alt-shift while scaling objects
• Arrange them into your drawing or use them to fill in the dark areas of your photo
• Remove the photo or hide it to see your progress
• Check out the examples below for inspiration, all those drawings were made from fonts!

Boba Fett Type Face Portrait By: Jared Fail

The Joker Type Face Portrait By: Dyana Aguilera

Sean Connery Type Face Portrait By: Skylen Fail

Have fun!

- Mr.W